Deciding whether you should be deep conditioning your hair when it’s dry or wet may be a tough decision. Although it’s most common to see everyone deep condition their hair while it’s wet, there are some people who prefer to do so while it’s dry. And while we know that there are many benefits to deep conditioning your hair since both of these options are available, you may wonder: which is actually best?

If you’re questioning why some people may even choose to deep condition on dry hair, there’s actually good reasoning. It has been said that conditioning on dry hair will better help the hair shaft absorb the ingredients in your deep conditioner without having the barrier from water. Though this is technically true, however, if you are dry conditioning, there are other barriers that you have to take into consideration: buildup, day-to-day debris, and sebum.

On the other hand, deep conditioning on wet hair is a bit different. Water, by itself, has the ability to raise the outer layer of the hair’s cuticle, which can help during the conditioning process. If your cuticle is raised during the conditioning process, your hair will take in more moisture. Applying a deep condition after you shampoo will help the hair shaft release the barriers of buildup, sebum, and debris and in turn, help the hair shaft absorb the ingredients from your conditioner.

So which option is best? For optimal results, deep conditioning on freshly shampooed, wet hair will be best. A good deep conditioner like our Coco Repair — Deep Conditioner or one of our new Butter Fusions Masques can help you relieve and reverse dry and damaged hair. Applying your deep conditioner to freshly washed and wet hair will increase your softness, improve your moisture and smooth your cuticle.